I have to say that Healing Rain is absolutely gorgeous.
Healing Rain (level 83): An area-effect heal-over-time (HoT) spell that calls down rain in a selected area, healing all players within it. There is no limit to the number of players who can potentially be affected; however, there are diminishing returns when healing a large number of targets, much like the diminishing returns associated with AoE damage spells. This should give Restoration shaman another healing tool that improves their group-healing and heal-over-time capabilities. 2-second cast time. 30-yard range. 10-second duration. 10-second cooldown.
It's something new in healing. It breaks healers out of Grid and into the game world. It has spectacular flavor, and feels like a shaman ability to the bone. It is resonant with a lot real world motifs about rain, water, healing, and even religious comfort.
I think Healing Rain is a home run by Ghostcrawler and his team. It sets a high bar for the remaining previews.
I think the Healing Rain mechanic should've gone to pallies as a ranged consecrate type spell. Hopefully we'll get something yummy once they announce the pally changes.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like a cross between a healing Consecration and CoH/D&D toss mechanic.
ReplyDeleteI'd be perfectly happy with a healing Consecration that I couldn't toss.
I think Healing Raid is definitely a step in the right direction. My major complaint with healing is that it is too reactive. They should move healing more towards a proactive design. The focus for every fight should be on the boss, not health bars. To me that is just a plain broken system. If your not staring at the boss, then you might as well be playing a text based game.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the other classes will get a healing version of Seed of Corruption. Now that would be cool.
ReplyDeleteHow about pally healers (so deep in the holy tree) can heal surrounding players when they take aoe damage? Not enough to fully counter 'OMG bad circle on the ground' stuff but enough to give dps an extra tick or two of survivability.
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me about this is whether or not the healing targets lock when you cast it. In other words, if it is up can a dps run into it to get healed making it a more cooperative process with the healer and the healing target.
ReplyDeleteI would think it would work the same as damage AoE, like Blizzard or Rain of Fire. So you would get the effect if you ran into it, and lose the effect if you ran out.
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